The Adventures of Minerva Paradizo
by tealeaf.tiffu
Summary: Artemis has gone insane. Now what? When strange things start to happen around Fowl Manor, for once, Artemis isn't there to help. Arriving at Fowl Manor, Minerva finds it mysteriously empty, and by finding Holly, together they have rescue Butler and save Artemis before it's too late.
1. Chapter 1

_Fowl Manor, Dublin. A week ago:_

Butler drove the car down the driveway to the manor. He felt a sense of accomplishment in doing what he wanted to do for days. Something had been troubling him. Recently, things had been disappearing around the Fowl Manor, money, various items –vases, spoons, statues- his Sig Sauer. A few nights ago, the power went out, but when Butler investigated after about 10 minutes when the back-up power wouldn't start, he found that the power lines had been cut. Checking the back-up generator, he found that it had been messed up beyond repair. Wires had been cut, valves had been removed - and the missing components were nowhere to be seen.

He had also thought he heard some movement in the house, but had dismissed it as his hearing. He was getting old. Butler had been the only one in the manor when it had occurred: Juliet was touring, Artemis and Angeline Fowl were in Haven, watching Artemis's recovery. But he was still a bit troubled, so he had decided to write to Minerva.

He had just come back from the village after posting a letter to Minerva and was putting some groceries into the pantry when he heard a slight intake of breath. Instantly, he dropped the celery and whirled around to face the attacker, pulling out his gun in the process. Nothing. Butler backed up against the fridge and waited. Suddenly, he heard a voice in his ear, 'You shouldn't have posted that Butler.'  
Butler's last thought was, 'Fairies!' when there was a quiet buzz sound and a flash of light, as Butler's body hit the ground and was dragged away…

_Paradiso Chateau, Tourrettes sur Loup. Now:_

_Dear Minerva,_

_Big day today! Lately I have been reading a lot of fiction like you told me to. Artemis is fine. Caviar is still his favourite meal. _Kings_ was my favourite book out of the three you gave me to read. Lately, I haven't read so much, I confess. I need to get back to the other book you gave me. Going to the book store soon! Have to buy the other book you recommended. Today is very busy. Overall, there is a lot to do today. Natalie is coming for dinner. Botanist. After dinner, shopping in the city. Cities are too crowded for Artemis though. Knowing him, he prefers to stay in his study._

_Butler_

Minerva read the letter, taking in the unconnected sentences and the strange language, instantly decoding and translating it.

**BLACKLIGHTONBACK**

Minerva turned on the black light and read:

_Dear Minerva,_

_Sorry I haven't written to you in a while. It's just that there has been so much going on, and have only just managed to write to you after the conclusion of our latest adventure. So much has happened. In short:_

_You know how Artemis stole some fairy magic and got out of Limbo? Well, apparently, this brought on what is known as Atlantis Complex, or multiple-personality disorder. He is now recovering, but still switches between himself and his alternate personality, Orion. He is also obsessed with counting things, though it is getting less and less now. I will tell you another time._

_There's something strange going on here. I can't really say what. Every time I go outside I feel like I'm being watched. And things have been going missing. Last night, a vase went missing, and a few weeks ago, a diamond earring. One of my guns that I keep on my table disappeared too, but I know I left it there. Yesterday, all the power went out. When I went to investigate, I saw one of the main power lines had been cut. _

_Who do you think is behind this? Please reply ASAP._

_Butler_

Minerva put down the letter and frowned. Usually she was happy when she got a letter from Butler, but this time was different. Usually his letters were long and full of details, but today the letter was short and obviously, something was troubling him. Why would he bother to code his letter and write invisibly if there wasn't? Maybe she could get into the firewall and see for herself…

Walking over to her desk, she tried to think of another password for Artemis's fire wall. Rejected. Again. Minerva shook her head. Artemis sure knew how to set his passwords well.

Even if she could not hack into Artemis's video cameras, at least she could access some areas of the LEP database. She could access some of the files on Artemis, but couldn't get into the more sensitive areas of the LEP network. _I really need to get better at this. Artemis is only better than this than me because he's a criminal and you're not,_ consoled Minerva. _If our positions were switched, then _I'd _be the one with the impenetrable password. _At least she was able to hack into some of the LEP's files about Artemis, if not his direct video feed.

Minerva studied the files. It had been updated and stated that Artemis was being held in The Argon Clinic in Haven to cure his 'Atlantis Complex'. Minerva read this entry with interest. 'Atlantis Complex'? Looking up the file, she remembered that Butler had referred to it earlier.

A scan of the file on Fowl Manor didn't show anything wrong. Minerva frowned, wondering what was troubling Butler. Normally he was loathe to ask for her help. Knowing Butler, he liked to handle things by himself, even when it was obvious he needed someone to talk to. She tried another password. Rejected. Again.  
'Minerva, darling, how is that science project coming along? Is it finished yet?'  
Minerva jumped and turned around to face her father.  
'Not yet, Daddy. Please. I'm thinking.'  
'What's this one about? Who are you trying to prove wrong this time? Einstein? Newton?  
Minerva bit back a sigh of frustration. How many times had she told him not to interrupt her when she was thinking?!  
'Not today. I'm working on something different. I still need to draw out the plans. I need time to think. Maybe we can talk a bit later?'  
Minerva's father frowned slightly. 'If that's what you want, darling, but if there is anything you need, I'm in the garden. Alright?'  
'Yes, Daddy, now please. I need to think.'  
Minerva's father exited the room. _Finally some peace and quiet._  
Minerva dialled a number. Normally, she and Butler would use email as their way of communicating, as it was faster as well as more convenient. But occasionally they mailed each other, but that was only when there was a parcel of some sort going along with it.

Minerva noticed that this time, Butler had _mailed _a letter, but it didn't have a parcel attached. Also it had been coded, but she hadn't been asked to visit.

5 rings. Voicemail. 'Hello,' said Butler's voice. 'You have reached the number of the Fowl Manor. If you do not have direct business with the Fowls, please hang up immediately. We will not tolerate any mischief of any sort. If that is the case, then I suggest you hang up now, or I will take this matter up with the police.' A slight pause. 'If you have a message, please leave it after the beep.'

The phone beeped and Minerva hung up. But something was strange. Minerva had tried to hack into Artemis's system once using his phone, but it turned out that while she could - just - hack the phone line, she still needed the password for Artemis's firewall.

Artemis's voice had been the voice in the voicemail. Not Butler's. There was no reason for Butler to change the voicemail, unless it had something to do with something else. Like the letter. Minerva called again. This time, she noticed a soft tapping in the background noise, mostly covered by the soft music playing. Listening closely, Minerva discovered it for what it was: Morse Code.

Minerva quickly hung up and redialled, retrieving a pen and paper from the desk in the meantime.

**_'Minerva. Come at once. Can't speak here. Quickly. PJ673SJE21SS'_**

Minerva read the message and couldn't believe what she had read. She redialled, and got the same message. Catching her reflection in the mirror, she realised that her face was an expression of utter bewilderment.

Someone had tapped the phone and was monitoring the Fowls, or Butler just wasn't risking it. Paired with the letter, it was clear that Butler was in trouble. Even worse, they could be holding Butler captive and the whole thing was a trap. But she had to go see if he was alright. The last part of the message was a bit confusing though. Minerva never got her Morse code wrong, but the last part was utter garbage. Trying again, she got the same results. Unless… Minerva gasped. It couldn't be. _Artemis's password for the firewall?_ Typing in the letter sequence, rearranging it, sorting it, decoding it, after 2 minutes, she had gotten in. _Not bad. _She thought. _Even someone like Artemis, even with that sequence, would have taken 30 seconds to figure that out. Artemis is going to rage when he finds out that I've gotten in…Butler must_ really _be in trouble if he gives me the password for Artemis's firewall, even though the password was scrambled. But who would be smart enough to get through Artemis's defences, that even _I_, Minerva Paradizo, can't get past and also know to correctly time it for when Artemis is mentally ill and being cured by creatures that most humans don't know exist?! _

Minerva pulled a suitcase off her shelf and pressed a pulled some keys off a shelf. The situation was urgent, and she couldn't afford to waste time, but still, she had to say goodbye to her dad. But she couldn't risk it. He would insist on coming along with her, even though she was pretty much fifteen already. Torn between two possibilities, she tore a piece of paper off a notepad and wrote hurriedly:

_Dear Daddy,_

_ I'm so sorry to leave you like this, but I just couldn't wait. I'm going to Ireland for a while to do a little research. I'll be back soon. Take care of the kids and don't give Beau any chocolate! _

_Love you!_

_Minerva_

Signing off with a flourish, she snuck to the window to check on her dad. He was still outside, weeding the garden. Good. Taking her things, she crept outside, dressed all in dark green and hid in the shadows, watching her dad for a minute with sad eyes. _Hopefully I'll be back soon._ She thought to her father. Turning away, she ran to the plane on the outside of the residence. She slipped out the gate and ran the whole way to the airfield. While running, she just had to feel a small sense of satisfaction. While Artemis was still smarter than her, she had always been good at certain sports, especially running. At least she was better than him at something. She liked to think of herself as good at everything, instead of specialising in just one area. While Artemis could solve quantum physics problems and write eternity codes, she could run for a while and get away from certain dangers and at the same time, solve quantum physics problems and write eternity codes, though it might take her just a bit longer to solve them. The plane was in sight now. Climbing into the plane, she hopped on and started the engine. 'Butler, here I come,' she said determined, as she started the plane, and it flew off into the sky.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Dr, J. Argon's Clinic, Haven City. Now:_**

'One, two, three, four, five! Malignant fours, get away from me!' Artemis screeched. Then Artemis frowned, not happy with his outburst. 'One, two, three, four, five! Malignant fours, you're not alive!' Artemis yelled, just as loudly. He sat back, satisfied, though it sounded stupid, he did not care.  
Dr J. Argon sighed. 'Artemis, let's try this again-'  
'Remove it from my sight!' screeched Artemis again. 'Take it away, that card! Death, Death, Death!'  
'Artemis, calm down. Look at this inkblot. What do you see?'  
'DEATH! DEATH, DEATH, DEATH! TAKE IT AWAY!'  
'Artemis. Please. Calm down.'  
'I CAN'T CALM DOWN IF YOU CONTINUALLY SHOW ME MY DEATH DAY AFTER DAY! WHEN BUTLER COMES, HE'LL-'  
Dr J. Argon sighed again and pressed a button. A needle popped out of the chair Artemis was sitting on and injected him with enough sedative to keep him out of it while the other liquid mixed in with it went to work on calming him down.  
Artemis flopped back onto the seat and started snoring gently. Dr J. Argon almost preferred the days when Artemis's other personality came out, as he was much calmer, not to say nicer, but unfortunately, that wasn't his actual personality. Sometimes he wished it was.  
Dr. Argon shuffled his notes. He had thought Artemis was recovering. Today's display showed that it wasn't as much as he thought. Still, his outbursts were now 3 times a day since starting treatment, much better than the 5 times a day a week ago. But Artemis had an extreme case of Atlantis. It was quite remarkable though, that he had made as much progress in only a week.  
Leaning back in his office chair, he started the countdown. 10 minutes until Artemis woke up. Taking out more inkblots, he heard a rumbling sound. 'Stupid recycling system…' Dr Argon muttered to himself. 'I'll call the repair pixies soon…'  
Suddenly, the air vent started making a hissing sound, and a green gas started filtering into the room. Dr Argon's eyes opened wide as he realised what it was and he screamed, 'GAS ATTACK! GAS ATTACK!' while pulling frantically on the sliding door. Locked. Crawling feebly, Dr Argon dragged himself over to the emergency button, and in the last second before he passed out, said into the intercom/emergency button, 'gas attackkk…'  
Slumping to the floor unconscious, he did not see the air vent fall off and see the figure emerge from inside, landing lightly on the expensive mahogany floor. The figure strode over to Artemis and clipped him to a moonbelt, also clipping on Dr Argon's wallet as an afterthought. Jogging over to the vent, the figure leapt up the wall and scaled it with surprising agility, getting in and refitting the vent just as the door flew open and the LEP charged in.

**_Saint Lucia, Island in North Atlantic Ocean. A day ago:_**

Captain Holly Short was flying through the air, riding the currents, occasionally swooping down to run over the waves before smoothly gliding up again, laughing the whole while. She loved the surface, especially when she was flying. It was such a wonderful experience; you couldn't get anything near it underground. Flying a bit further, Holly hovered near the volcano mouth and made some notes. She had been sent to do surveillance on the volcano in the middle of the island, which was quite dull and boring. To entertain herself, Holly was doing flying manoeuvres, swooping through the light clouds and treading on the waves. She didn't even have Foaly to talk to, because her communication had been disabled, just in case it got damaged by the volcanic dust.

'I thought all your inventions were ingenious!' Holly had accused when Foaly told her.  
'They are!' replied Foaly defensively. 'I just need to get around to changing the communicator so that it won't be wrecked by that volcanic dust! You know how that can get into the crevices and wreck the communication! Usual communication is blocked in that area for some reason! Therefore we need to attach an extension for it to work!'  
'So, an extension made _specifically_ for use on an island with a massive volcano in the centre is not volcanic-dust proof?'  
'Yes… pretty much…'  
'Foaly!'  
'I forgot it was a volcanic island, ok? I only got the assignment a day ago! It's a pretty good effort for one day! If you could wait one more week for me to finish and adapt it, but _no._ You have to go _today_. Why can't they be a bit more flexible?'  
'Foaly, you know we have to do observations quickly. The volcano erupted yesterday, so we have to go today, max.'  
'Yes, I know, I was just being stubborn.'  
'Like always.'  
'Hey! Was that an insult?'  
'No. It was a compliment.'  
So here she was, stuck without communication. Holly just wanted to get the job done over and quickly so she could get back to her usual work. There had been a shortage of scientific workers recently, with quite a few natural disasters happening recently, so with this one being ranked the least important, Holly was assigned the job. Taking a deep breath, Holly got back to work. At least it would be over soon and she would be home by tomorrow.

**_Fowl Manor. Now:_**

Minerva landed the plane on Artemis's airstrip, taking care not to make too much noise, not that you could be quiet when landing an aeroplane. She turned off the engine; stole out of the cockpit, with her helmet and goggles laid neatly down on the pilot's seat. She walked through the Fowl grounds, keeping to the trees to avoid being spotted on camera. Going around the back, she ducked behind a bush and observed the house. It was unusually quiet, but that was probably because everyone was absent except Butler and maybe Artemis. Pulling out her binoculars, Minerva took a closer look. Sweeping them down the side of the house, she noticed that something was different, and in hindsight, very, very wrong. Butler would never have left all the curtains closed. He had once told her that he couldn't bear a room dark and shielded from sunlight. Also, the lanterns in front of the house were still on, meaning that either Butler had slept in or was sick (not likely, it was 4 o' clock in the afternoon and last time Butler was sick was a decade ago) or something was quite amiss. Just as she had decided to go back and consider her course of action, a terrible sound shattered the silence and without even being aware of it, Minerva was sprinting for the back door. As Minerva ran, she felt her binoculars fall out of her hand and hit the ground, and she became aware of the pounding in her ears. With no time to lose, she broke a window with a strength that surprised her and climbed in, finding the stairs and leaping up them with catlike grace. She had recognised the voice the second she had heard it. Butler.

**you likey? :D please review if you did! every review is much appreciated!  
**

**-Tiffu**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

**Enjoy! Please review and tell me what you think! SPOILER ALERT! hehehe. here you meet the first villain. and i say first, because. meh. first. :D i will not say more :P SPOILER ALERT ENDED! I sincerely hope that i am not just writing rubbish, so please review, I love reviews please please please! I'm BEGGING YOU. Anyway. Get to reading my story. No one cares about my authors notes anyway :P**

**_Artemis's study. Not too long ago:_**

Butler woke up in a familiar room. A _very_ familiar room, actually. He had just woken up in Artemis' study. Trying to move, he realised that he was gagged and tied at the ankles and wrists with a chain, then that chain was attached to the heavy mahogany table, and for extra precautions, had a heap of Artemis's computer equipment piled on top. Butler grunted and tried to shift the table anyway. No luck. He lay there for some time and then he heard the sound of footsteps approaching his door. Doing his best to look menacing – though it was a pretty hard job when he was tied up and gagged – Butler turned his gaze to the door and waited.

The door was flung open and in came a pixie that he had never seen before. The pixie paused at the door, fingering a small gun and scrutinising Butler with tiny, pebble black eyes. Seeming satisfied, he walked in and proceeded to pace around Butler, and examine him closer. Butler scowled, hoping to scare the strange pixie away, but that only cause the pixie to laugh.  
While the pixie paced, Butler noticed that his gun was an LEP issue gun, the newest model, and those were only given to the Lower Elements Police or the LEP, yet the pixie didn't seem to have any sort of insignia on his bodysuit, and Butler doubted that the LEP would let such a mean-looking pixie join them. The pixie was a strange one. His hair was fluoro green with black roots, and he had a scar across the whole right side of his face, disfiguring his mouth, so his face always looked lop-sided. Yet his eyes seemed intelligent, he was no thug sent by a greater mastermind. Butler had no doubt that this pixie pacing around him was no servant, or second-in-charge either. This was the boss, the whole mind behind the plan.

The pixie finished his circuit around Butler and turned to face Butler where he could see him. A look of annoyance flickered over his face, but it was replaced a cruel, cunning look in an instant. That pixie would do anything to get what he wanted.  
'Hello Butler. I'm sure you have a lot of questions to ask me, and no doubt the most prominent of them all is what on earth I want with you. Well, that is simple. Where. Is. Artemis?'  
The pixie looked intently at Butler, but then realised that Butler couldn't speak, so he gingerly treaded over and removed Butler's gag in a flash, and jumped back again.  
Butler scowl deepened and he said in a menacing voice, 'I'll never tell you anything. Who sent you?'  
The pixie laughed. 'Do I _look_ like the type that would be sent by anyone? Do I _seem_ like a common thug to you? No. If you are asking who I am, then I am Jade Haneu, so you better listen, or else!'  
Butler smirked. 'Isn't Jane a girl's name?'  
'Jade! Not Jane! Don't make fun of my name! Jade is a precious material, you know! I don't know why everyone mishears my name!' Face contorting into rage, Jade turned on Butler, then paused. Composing his face, he walked over to the window and looked out of it for a long while. When some time had passed, Jade turned around again and walked back to Butler, features composed and maybe even slightly joyful.  
'Now, back to business.' Jade stated and started pacing around Butler again. 'You know you are completely powerless. You can't do anything to help yourself now. You tried before, if my memory serves me right. And obviously you are completely in my power.' Jade stopped at the study table. Picking up an elaborate paperweight, he turned around to face Butler again. Grinning maliciously, he asked in an undertone, so that Butler had to strain to hear, 'So…_where_ is your precious Artemis?'  
Butler didn't say a word. Jade put down the paperweight and walked over to Butler's head. 'No harm will come to you if you tell me. I will release you here and now, and we can both forget we ever met. I only want Artemis. Now, where is he? Tell me.'  
Butler glared at Jade. 'I have a question for you. Firstly, where do you come from and why do you have LEP equipment? But what I would like to know is, what do you want with Artemis?'  
Jade stared at Butler contemptuously. 'Answer my question first, Butler,' Jade Haneu took a few steps back and aimed the gun at Butler's head.  
'I'll never tell you.' Butler didn't look away.  
The corner of Jade's mouth twitched upwards, 'I didn't think you'd tell me.' Then he grinned maliciously. 'I'll give you one more chance. For your information, this is no ordinary gun. It has been altered to hold hallucination darts, which this gun is loaded with right now. These hallucination darts are the type that feed on your worst fears. You will scream like you never have before. You will feel the worst agony possible. And don't even think of trying to pull it out. All of the drug administers in the first few milliseconds. Once I pull the trigger, you don't stand a chance. I've told you what you will be facing. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. You've had your chance. Where is Artemis?'  
Butler and Jade stared each other in the eye. Then Butler answered, 'I won't tell you.'  
Jade's eyebrows lowered. 'It's your choice,' he said, scowling, and he pulled the trigger. The dart flew out of the gun and implanted itself in Butler's flesh and Butler pulled it out instantly with his teeth. He spat it out and stared at the dart impassively, confirming that what Jade had said was true. His eyes slowly drooped, but he fought the drug to the end. His eyes closed and his head thumped the floor.  
'1…2…3…4…5…' Jade counted under his breath, eyes never leaving Butler's face. At 3 Butler face broke out in a sweat. At 5, he screamed. Horribly and loudly. '5…' Jade muttered. 'He's still got some pluck in him yet…'

Holly flew through a cloud, glad that now she was nearing Tara, she could contact Foaly again. She could've just taken the short route, but she decided to take the Tara chute, because she got to fly for longer.  
'…so boring. Seriously, why couldn't anyone else go?' complained Holly to Foaly. 'Why me out of all the other officers?'  
'You were the one that Trouble picked. Go complain to him then,' said Foaly distractedly. 'I'm a bit busy.'  
'He never listens to me anymore! Now he's so 'Don't talk to me! I need to attend to something!' I'm glad that I broke up with him!'  
Foaly paused, and took a moment to look at Holly through the camera. 'Is that so?'  
'Yes!' said Holly blushing. 'Stop teasing me about him already!'  
Foaly chuckled. 'Then we would have nothing to talk about.'  
'Would so!'  
Foaly smiled as he turned back to his monitor. 'Commander Kelp commends you on your job at the pub the other day, by the way. Calmed them down, with minimal injuries and damage to buildings.'  
'Oh really?' asked Holly.  
'Yeah. He wants to meet with you when you get back.'  
'That's goo-' Holly stopped, distracted by the winking of a small icon to the side of her helmet display. 'Actually, I might leave you to it, Foaly. Have fun indexing all that data.'  
'Wait, first you want to complain to me, and talk to me, then now you're-' Holly cut him off and clicked on the icon. It was from Artemis's fairy communicator she had given him. It was marked urgent.  
'Artemis, what is it?' Holly answered in gnomish. 'I thought you were in Haven?'  
'H-holly,' stuttered a voice softly who was definitely not Artemis. 'C-can you understand?'  
'Who is this?' barked Holly into the communicator, then she repeated in English. 'Who is this? How did you get this communicator?' Holly was about to press the hang up button when the person on Artemis's communicator replied.  
'No! Don't hang up! Please!' Minerva whisper-shouted, abandoning all attempts at speaking the gnomish she had tried to learn by hacking the LEP database. 'Please! Butler is in danger. Come quickly!'  
Holly hesitated. 'Is this a joke?' she said quietly, but menacingly. 'Who is this and how do you know Butler? How did you get the communicator?'  
'Please! _Écoutez-moi!_ This is Minerva Paradizo. I can't talk longer. Come quickly! Butler is in danger!'  
The phone went silent. Holly considered her options. Deciding that Butler's safety was more important than her post-mission briefing, Holly checked her position and her equipment in a flash. 2 seconds later, she was flying for Fowl Manor faster than she had ever flown in her life.

Jade Haneu searched Butler's pockets, disarming him and pocketing anything of use. Jade checked his watch. 10 minutes left on the countdown. A side effect of the hallucination darts was that once the victim woke up, they would turn into a babbling mess, and would answer anything you asked them relatively truthfully, and if handled right, you could even change their views, and turn them over to your side. Then again, if met with strong resistance, it could damage the victim's brain and leave them brain-dead and they would be about as useful as a bottle of water would be to a drowning land-sprite. Preparing to clear out, Jade pushed Butler into the small escape shuttle that was hidden in the corner of the room. He had gotten it in with great care, though damaging a few walls, he groaned at the prospect of getting it out again. He was climbing into the shuttle when he heard a small quivering voice say, 'Stop! Put Butler down!'  
Jade turned, quickly loading his gun at the same time, pausing when he saw who was in the doorway. 'Leave, before you get hurt.' He said in Gnomish, then in English for good measure. 'You don't know what you're dealing with. MOVE!'  
Minerva stood quivering in the doorway, not moving. 'Don't you dare harm Butler,' she said, voice low and quivering more, but still holding her wooden post in front of her.  
Jade laughed. 'Do you really think that I would just give him up to you, when I have two guns and you have a wooden stick? I came here to do one thing. Don't get in my way.'  
Time stood still as they stared at each other, Minerva with her wooden pole, and Jade with his Neutrino loaded with hallucination darts. Then, Jade pulled the trigger. Faster than he could blink, Minerva blocked with her pole and threw it at Jade in a last ditch attempt. But Jade dodged it, aimed and fired a hallucination dart at Minerva, lodging in her forehead. Crumpling to the ground, she saw Jade hop into the escape shuttle and plough through the wall with it. Debris flew everywhere, and the roof beams creaked, as Holly appeared in the doorway, and Minerva's world went black.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I had to edit this one a bit, since I made a very bad science error :P Thanks to sexxicosmologist for pointing that out to me! I appreciate it :) I hope you guys enjoy it, I know the end is a bit unrealistic but hey, it's not too wacky :P If you think it is though, feel free to tell me. I take criticism pretty well. (Even if I didn't, you wouldn't have to see me rage at you in person anyway :P)**

**~Tiffu**

**_Back at the Argon Clinic:_**

Dr Argon was ranting at the LEP officers, who were paying him no attention. '…even stole my wallet! Now who's so mean to steal away the human _and_ have the impudence to pick my pockets as well?!'  
Commander Trouble Kelp and his officers paid no attention to him. The Commander himself had come down to inspect the case, because the loss of Artemis while he was in his mental state could be disastrous. 'Argon, tell me, what are the worst and best consequences for Artemis?' he said, cutting Dr Argon off.  
Dr Argon did not appreciate being shut up like that. But deciding that arguing with the Commander would not pay off – also, he might get the extra pay that he needed if he obeyed - he complied. 'Well, best case, Artemis figures out some way to escape or outwit whoever captured him, or we rescue him quickly, so that the kidnapper doesn't get a chance to find out about Artemis's condition and take advantage of it. Worst case scenario: We don't act in time, then Artemis's condition could be exploited and if figured out, he could be turned against us, but with the help of hallucination drugs. Normally, you wouldn't be able to turn a mind such as his, but his mind is very weak and confused at the moment, due to the Atlantis Complex, and if we do not get him back soon, we could find ourselves fighting the human that is –or was- our ally, once again.'  
This news was met with silence from the gathered officers. They stood in silence for a few moments, then everyone turned to look at Trouble.  
'What have we found from the gas analysis and the video?' Trouble asked, a determined expression on his face.  
One of the scientists cleared his throat. 'The gas is a very thick and is a scientifically manufactured gas, and we haven't been able to identify it properly as of yet, but we think it may be a type of sleeping gas, but made up of different substances than sleeping gas. It doesn't kill, but puts the subject into an unconscious state that lasts for about one day, and then they are still confused, even with the medicine that wakes them." The elf jerked his thumb at Dr Argon and of course, Dr Argon noticed this.  
"Huh? You're pointing at _me, _elf? I'm perfectly fine! I'm not confused! Artemis stole- no, someone stole my wallet, and stole Artemis! But Artemis is planning something, I know it-"  
Trouble was amused. "While in the state that he is? I don't think so."  
Trouble ignored Dr Argon's subsequent rant and considered the information for a while before asking, 'What about the video?'  
This time one answered.  
'The video?'  
Again, no one answered. Trouble gritted his teeth.  
'If somebody doesn't answer now, then I will personally make sure they are kicked out of the labs and put to work in the juvenile goblin detention centre for a month. Who is in charge of the video?'  
A second passed, then a small elf came tentatively forward and wrung his hands. Trouble smirked. 'You're the one going to goblin detention?'  
The elf's eyes opened wide and he tried to speak, but no sound came out. Then, visibly calming himself, he said, 'We-well, we analysed the video, sir. W-we're pretty sure of what w-we've found, b-but it can't be r-right…' the elf trailed off and looked at his feet.  
Trouble clenched his fists. 'Yes….. and…?' He was starting to lose his patience. Dr Argon was still ranting in the background and it was getting annoying.  
The elf whimpered. 'Maybe there was a mistake…' he said in a small voice.  
'Tell me!' roared Trouble Kelp. 'This is an extreme situation. Tell me everything! Speak louder! There is no time for deliberating! This is urgent! Tell me who the kidnapper is _right now_.'  
The elf shrunk back. 'W-w-well, w-we t-think the kidnapper might have been…well… the recognition software came up with… Holly Short.' After his dreadful statement, the elf looked up at Trouble and trembled.  
Trouble's rage gave way to shock, then rage ran across his face again, but double as much as before. 'What are you telling me, elf? Are you saying Holly Short is a traitor? She is the best officer we have, and you are saying she kidnapped Artemis Fowl? Why would she do that? Show me the video!' he screeched.  
By this time, the elf was crying. Silently, the elf activated the gas screen that hung in front of them, tears running down this face. There, on the screen, was the evidence. Green gas, leaking slowly out of the air vent into the room. Dr Argon noticing and screaming for help. Artemis still unconscious. The vent falling out. Then there appeared a figure that was Holly's height and shape. It jumped out of the vent and snatched up Artemis, appearing to use cam foil and a moonbelt. Then leaping up with incredible agility, -after picking Dr Argon's pockets- replaced the vent and was seen no more. There was silence in the room.  
Dr Argon was the first to break the silence. 'See?! This time she has done it! She has stolen away Artemis and my wallet! That traitor, that miserly-' Foaly pushed Dr Argon out of the way and spoke for the first time. 'Trouble. Listen to me. I know that after that video, you will be thinking second thoughts about Holly now. But it can't be. Since when was Holly ever a traitor? That gas was so thick, we could hardly see anything, let alone identify Holly positively. There are so many fairies at Holly's height, it could be anyone! She must have been framed!'  
Trouble folded his arms and scowled at Foaly and Dr. Argon. 'We're not sure that it's Holly yet, let's not jump to conclu-'  
'Yes, but does anyone have a Moonbelt, LEP helmet and anti-grav boots?' Dr Argon burst out. 'Those boots haven't even been issued to all of the LEP yet, only the high-ranking officers. And there aren't that many female high-ranking LEP officers are there?' Dr Argon's face was triumphant. 'Holly is the kidnapper! I knew we couldn't trust her!'  
Foaly shook this head. 'No…. this is impossible. Why would Holly do this? What is her motive? It must be a set-up.'  
Trouble considered this argument for a moment. 'Well, Dr Argon does have a point… anyone else in favour?' All the scienctists except Foaly put up their hands.  
Foaly was speechless. 'But Holly isn't a traitor! You know Holly, Trouble-'  
Trouble slammed his hand down on the table. 'Don't call me by my first name.' Foaly pouted.  
Trouble ignored him and continued. 'Foaly. Tell me. Where has Holly been the past couple of days?'  
'Uh… Santa Lucia Island.'  
'Without communication?'  
'Yes, sir. If you had given me more time-'  
'Artemis's kidnapping occurred during the time that she was away, am I not correct?'  
'Um.. yes.'  
'And when she activated communication, she was near Ireland?'  
'Yes…'  
'She could have taken the South Atlantic chute. Why didn't she take it? We don't know, but there is a strict item check in that area, and Holly was probably avoiding that. The Haven chute is only chute that LEP personnel can get through without being scanned. I think there is only one explanation. Holly Short must have kidnapped Artemis Fowl. There is no other explanation. I will hear no more.'  
'But, NO! Commander, you can't! We've been set up! It's a-'  
Trouble glared at Foaly. 'No more of this, horsey. I've had enough.' Then, turning to the LEP officers standing silently in the back, he said, 'I want you to issue out a warrant for Holly Short right now. Wanted, alive if possible, but if necessary, dead.'  
This shocked Foaly. 'Trouble! You don't know what-'  
'Foaly,' Trouble gave him the death glare. 'Enough.' And with that, Trouble walked out of the room, leaving Foaly speechless and desperate.

Artemis was floating around in a mist, struggling to gain dominance. He found himself treading through a thick purple haze, where nothing was as it seemed. 'Orion, fool. Stop playing around with me and let me out!' Artemis shouted. His voice echoed around and back to him. There was no reply. Then, three seconds later, glistening fours appeared around him like a swarm of angry bees. Artemis's eyes opened wide, but then he set his mouth in grim determination_. I will not let this stop me_, he vowed, but his determination was already crumbling. _Fours… everywhere…._ Artemis struggled on, but eventually sank to his knees. 'I will get out,' he thought, 'I must.' But he lay on the ground in defeat, and he felt the slight pull as he was slowly dragged back into his 'study' once again, to watch events unfold.

Orion woke up in a totally white room. There was nothing at all anywhere. He could not even tell where the corners were. It seems to be lighted from all angles and there didn't seem to be any door. Realising that he was curled up in a foetal position, he got up and stretched. Looking around, he decided to feel for the corners. He took a few steps, and ran into one. Cursing, he turned around and tried to get his bearings. But he couldn't see anything. He was standing in a blank field of white. The only thing that he could see was himself. The whiteness played with his vision, making him see things. It hurt. After running into a wall a second time, a chilling laugh echoed through the chamber. Orion scanned the room in a panic. 'Where are you, most foul and insolent creature? I cannot see you. Come out!' That just made the mysterious voice laugh even more. Orion scowled, a strange expression for his usually tranquil and joyful face. 'You despicable creature! I despise you and hate you with all my heart, though I have not even seen your sorry little face. When that happens, I will snap your neck like a piece of rotten timber!' he spat. The laughing intensified then faded away and a fairy shimmered into view. It was a pixie, but surprisingly, it was not Opal, for once. She had long, dark hair tied up into a bun with a few jewelled pins sticking out of it. She was wearing a frilly, purple dress, golden necklace, a few rings and sparkly knee-length boots. She was also wearing elbow-length gloves and gold earrings with amethysts set in them. She had a small petite nose and delicately pointed ears. But there was nothing girlish and cute about the expression on her face. Then the pixie smiled and took a step towards Orion. 'Artemis Fowl, how glad I am for you to have joined our company.' Her voice was smooth and slippery, like a snake's and not to be trusted. 'I was _very_ impressed with your Ice Cube. Very clever.' _  
_Orion knew there was something amiss about her, but for some reason, Orion felt himself listening to her sweet melodic voice. _Don't listen to her! _Artemis screamed from the inside. _Don't you know she is mesmerising you? She kidnapped me for goodness sake!_ But Orion ignored the voice inside himself and stared into the pixie's eyes.  
The pixie smiled slyly. 'My name is Iris Koboi. You might know me. Or not?'  
Orion's eyes drooped sleepily, then his brow wrinkled in confusion. 'I know of Opal Koboi, but who may you be? I have not heard of an Iris Koboi…' he mumbled.  
Iris's eyes narrowed, and she scowled. 'That Opal was always ahead of me… always beating me…' she muttered. 'But no matter.' Iris looked up at Orion, all smiles once again. 'Artemis. Your friends, That elf Holly Short and the LEP. Why do you help them? What is your loyalty to them?' Her voice vibrated with hints of melodic bass. 'They are always dragging you into trouble aren't they? Depending on you for help in the times when _they _get you into the mess in the first place! Join us, and you can make millions. Isn't that what you live for? _Aurum potestas est?_ Get rid of your friends, always wanting you to help them and get them out of situations of their own making. Join us. Help us get rid of Haven, join us. Join us!'  
Inside, Artemis cursed. _D' Arvit! She's mesmerising him! Or should I say me. And I can't do anything to stop it! There, the tell-tale rich bass-like tone in her voice, mesmerising Orion into obedience. _He watched in horror as he felt Orion's lids droop and stare into the pixie's eyes. He drifted in his mind, not feeling anything but the slight pull drawing him back to his 'study'. _No! I must stop this. Put an end to this. Before it is too late and the confounded fool Orion and I are lost._  
Orion was truly lost in her gaze. Those mesmerising eyes. They must be obeyed. At whatever cost.  
'Now,' the pixie was saying. 'I must mark you as one of us. Give me your neck.' Orion exposed his neck, and the pixie raised a small laser with a symbol outlined in the light hole. It was the enchant rune. The pixie moved closer, grinning in triumph. The laser hummed malevolently, sparks shooting out of it. It came closer and closer to making a mark, when Orion's hand strayed to the power cable, and – Iris being lazy, had forgotten to patch up the cord, though it was broken in a few places– it zapped him. Faster than the eye could blink, the boy standing in front of her moved swiftly, though a bit awkwardly. His eyes cleared, his face hardened, and quickly, his fist flew up and flew at the pixie. It flew past her head. Not one to give up so easily, Artemis tried to recall as much of his training Butler had given him just two days ago…

_'This is impossible, Butler! How can you expect me to hit this thing?'  
Butler chuckled. 'It's a practise dummy, and it's already bigger than an average human. Come on. Try again.'  
Artemis frowned. 'I feel awfully hot and sweaty, Butler. Can't we just take a break?'  
Butler's face hardened. 'No Artemis. Not until you get this right.'  
'But Butler-'  
'It's for your own good, Artemis.' Butler stated firmly.  
Artemis sighed. 'If you wish, Butler.'  
He tried again and swung his fist at the dummy. And actually hit the thing.  
Butler's eyebrows lifted the slightest bit, though he quickly returned to his usual impassive self. 'Good job Artemis. I knew you could do it. Now, one hundred more times in a row, and you might actually have a chance of hitting an attacker in the future.'_

Time seemed to slow down for Artemis as he focused on where he wanted to strike and how he would do it. He didn't think it would work anyway, but it was that, or brainwashing by a strange pixie, that had the same name as his nemesis. Artemis leaped forward and… his fist struck the pixie in the jaw, and another struck her in the temple, knocking the pixie out instantly. She never knew what hit her. Artemis stared down at her unmoving body, mouth open. 'I… did it!' Artemis muttered to himself, and a small smile appeared on his face.

Then, Iris Koboi dematerialised and there was just silence in the chamber. Unbroken silence. Then, Artemis, realising what was going on, dived to the floor, but it was too late. A dart shot out of the wall and hit Artemis in the neck, sending him to dreamland for the next couple of days.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Fowl Manor:_**

Holly appeared in the doorway of Artemis's study just as Minerva fell backwards into her arms and an old escape pod crashed through the wall, to the outside world. "Mr and Mrs Fowl won't be too happy about that," thought Holly to herself as she slowly lowered Minerva to the ground. She ran to the window and fired a tracker at the shuttle. It hit. Just. Running back, she checked Minerva's pulse.  
As far as she could tell, there was no serious damage to her body. Just as she thought that, the most dreadful scream erupted from Minerva. It was so primitive, piercing and full of fear that if Holly hadn't already put Minerva on the ground, she would have dropped her, just like that.  
She had never heard a scream so full of fear and pain. She fell to the floor, shaken. This state Minerva was in must have been drug-induced for her to be screaming like that! Sure enough, it was. Pulling out a gigantic dart - Holly raised her eyebrows when she saw it – she pocketed it, and then remembered she had a shuttle to chase. Holly lowered Minerva's head onto a decorative pillow that had been blasted from its place by the exiting shuttle. The poor thing, her head was covered in a shiny layer of sweat. "I'm sorry, Minerva," Holly said quietly. "I'll be back for you soon." Putting her hand on Minerva's chest, she let her magic flow. _Heal._ Holly stood up, but just as she was about to leave, Minerva shifted in her nightmares and muttered, "Jade…" Holly was by her side in an instant. "Who?" coaxed Holly.  
"Jade…" Minerva's eyelids fluttered, and her eyes rolled in her sockets. Her knuckles were white, and she grasped a long wooden stick, with a similar dart to Minerva's sticking out of it.  
"Jade, who?" Holly asked again, trying not to think of the shuttle.  
Minerva curled into a foetal position. "Jade…" she whispered, so soft that Holly had to strain to hear it. "Jade…Haneu…"  
Then Minerva's eyes rolled in her sockets, and she screamed again. Tears in Holly's eyes, she made a run-up and jumped out the hole in the wall, shielding and yanking the throttle in the meantime. For once, flying didn't bring her the usual pleasure it did. Instead, she was full of anger. Whoever did this, and also had the nerve to take Butler, would pay.

**_Haven City, Foaly's Lab:_**

"I do not care, Foaly, I want you to find her location right now." Trouble commanded. His face was beetroot coloured, much like his predecessor.  
"Trouble, she's innocent! Innocent, I tell you!"  
"Do it, or I will not only have your budget cut, I will get you kicked out of the LEP and forced to work as a troll dung collector in the bad side of town. Am I understood?"  
Foaly flinched. "I tell you she's innocent," he put up a feeble reply, and tracked Holly's location, then broke into a cold sweat. "She's leaving Fowl Manor, at a very fast pace."  
Trouble frowned. "Why would she do that?"  
Foaly did another scan, just to make sure his computer equipment was not malfunctioning, though it never did. He hung his head. How could this be happening? He was sure of Holly's innocence, after all, what did she have against Artemis? Yet the facts were there. What other explanation was there?  
Trouble, on the other hand, was convinced. Pulling out his radio, he barked, "Get the reserve team up to the surface now! I repeat. Reserve team, capture and arrest Holly Short on the charges of treason and misconduct. Treason and misconduct, I repeat. Roger." Trouble turned to Foaly. "Anything to say?"  
Foaly felt like he was betraying one of his only best friend, but he said, "No."

**_In the Sky:_**

Holly did a series of blinks and gestures, but took it too far, and accidentally got up the People's radio station. _D'Arvit. _Trying again, she got what she wanted.

Jade Haneu:

Male, 104 years, pixie.  
Birthplace: Atlantis City  
Parentage: Unknown  
Served a few years in the Deeps prison for theft and fraud.

A petty thief. Then why would he go to such measures of capturing Butler? It's not like he had anything against them. Who could have convinced him to do so? Holly pushed these thoughts aside. She could think of them later. At the moment, she had a shuttle to catch. When she was within communication range, Holly pulled out her megaphone and shouted a message to it. "Land and give me the human prisoner! This is the LEP speaking. Disable all weapons and land. I repeat. Disable all weapons and land!"

There was no change on the shuttle. Then it sped up and away from Holly. Narrowing her eyes, Holly yanked on the throttle and gave chase. She wasn't going to let them escape with Butler. "Disable your weapons and land! I will be forced to open fire! I repeat, disable your weapons and land!"  
At first there was no reply from the shuttle. It kept trying to lose Holly, but when the occupant realised that they couldn't get away from her, they opened communication. A picture appeared in the side of her helmet screen. Holly blinked and the communication link opened. There was a slight crackling, and then she could see who she presumed to be Jade, then she caught her breath when she saw Butler tied up and tossed onto the floor like a sack of potatoes. Holly's hands clenched into fists.  
"Can you hear me, LEP scum?" Jade smirked at the camera. "I'm surprised you even caught up to me. Most of those badge-wearing potatoes can't even chase down a fly."  
"Yes, I can hear you," Holly spat. "Who are you and why do you have Butler?"  
Jade's face broke into a smile as soon as he heard Holly's voice. "Ah, if it isn't the famous Holly Short. Now why don't you activate visuals so I can see your pretty face?"  
Holly ignored his statement. "Why don't we stop stalling and you tell me why you have Butler?"  
"Always down to business, I see," chuckled Jade. "You are in no position to make threats. I'm the one who has Butler, therefore, the one with the power. You can't fire for fear of hurting Butler, and I could just fan out a line of laser missiles until one hits you."  
Holly ignored this threat. "What have you done to Butler, lowlife?" she spat.  
Jade's face froze for a second, then he became his usual jovial self once again. He began pacing. "I could explain it all to you again, but really, I'm not going to bother. You know what, why don't you just go home and let me do my business. No harm will come to him, at least in this shuttle."  
Yanking on the throttle, Holly came closer. "No, I will not leave Butler, after all the time I've known him. I'll stay here, thank you very much."  
Jade gave Holly a rueful smile. "Come on, why does such a famous personality like, you, Holly Short, want to pick a bone with a petty criminal like me? After all, your mother was killed by Mud Men after all, I'm just helping get rid of another one."  
Holly flinched at the mention of her mother. Deadly serious, she said softly, "I know all about you, Jade Haneu, every single detail. Now, give me back the human, before I am forced to board and take the ship."  
Jade's happy disposition disappeared. "Take it with what?" he barked, harshly. "I've got all the things I need on this ship, including weapons." Quick as a flash, he whipped out a human pistol and held it to Butler's head. "Do what I say, or the human dies."

Holly stared in shock at what seemed to be the unconscious form of Butler with a gun to his head. Holly was torn. She couldn't just leave him, but if she tried to save him, he would be killed. But who knew what Jade would do to Butler afterwards? Holly drifted slowly towards the back entrance of the ship, disabling communication and making sure her wings beat at the same speed of the ship. Pulling out her Omnitool, she undid the airlock, stepped into the chamber, and closed the door. Just as she was going to get into the main chamber, though, she was stopped by Jade's voice on a screen. "I'm warning you, elf. You take one more step, and this Mud Man dies. One more step."  
The doors to the main part of the shuttle opened. "I said, one more step, elf."  
Holly looked up at Jade and examined him. She was shielded, he shouldn't be able to see her. Then why was he so smug? Then she realised something. Jade was grinning, looking right at her. He had anti-shield contacts! Doing a commando roll, Holly came closer to Jade, but Jade was quicker and fired a few shots at her with a Neutrino 2000, keeping the other gun at Butler's head. Holly was thrown backwards by the force, and kept tumbling as he kept firing shots at her. _Why was he using such a strong setting? You could give people concussions with that setting. _She felt her Hummingbird wings buckle and break, she assumed the same was with her helmet as she heard a loud crack resound through her helmet. _That gun has been modified, it seems. Otherwise, why would I be feeling like this?_ Holly wondered. The world spun, she started to feel queasy, and she couldn't tell up from down. All she wanted was for the relentless pain to stop. Finally she rolled to a stop in the airlock. Groaning, she lifted her head. Jade broke out into a wide grin. "Promises are promises!" he exclaimed gleefully, the cry of a mad pixie. Moving so he Holly could see, Jade pushed the gun roughly into Butler's temple. "NO!" screamed Holly, but it was too late. Sluggishly, she tried to get up and run, but everything was swirling, it was too much. The airlock doors began to close, her vision began to cloud, the last thing she heard was Jade cackling, and a gunshot. She was falling, falling, nothing beneath her, since when? She pulled the throttle on her wings, it came off in her hands. Air beneath her, cushioning her, leading her to death. She opened her eyes, and thought she saw Julius Root coming to save her. Holly's face broke into a serene smile. At least it was all over. She had nothing to worry about now. She would see Julius again soon.

**Hello! I hope you enjoyed that! (Cliffhanger! *cackles evilly*) Remember to R&R! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**_The Deeps Prison, Atlantis:_**

Opal rubbed her hands in glee, reading all that Jade had written to her on the system she had set up. All was going to plan. She was still imprisoned in the Deeps, but had managed to smuggle some equipment in through Jade, enough to make a simple texting system. It was old, she knew, but it was better than nothing, and once Jade managed to smuggle her some fibre-optic, she would start getting the video and voice. She remembered when she first met Jade. It was back in third grade, when she was a young pixie. She had lectured at the stupid teacher again, because the teacher had been explaining some concept (wrongly) again, but obviously, the teacher couldn't handle being lectured by an eight-year-old, as the next day, she was taken into the principal's room for a talk and a week's worth of after-school detentions. She never had many friends when she was young. The friends she _did _manage to make were all too dumb and stupid to relate to her intellect. But when she told them so, they would go away crying, and she would receive a punishment and a mild scolding by the principal. Cry-babies. Tell-tales.

She had met Jade that afternoon. He was two years above her, in grade five at the time. Walking into the room, she had looked around, and to her surprise, there was another child in the room, but no teacher.

The child looked a bit strange, he had bright green eyes, one would say they were like the ocean in colour, but not in quality. His eyes held a rather cruel aspect to them, and he gazed at the newcomer with interest and smirked. Opal glanced at the other student in an irritated manner. He was a pixie, and rather tardy. He had spiky black hair that was all over the place, it looked like he hadn't had a haircut in while.  
"Problem, princess?" Jade asked, smirking.  
"None whatsoever, lowlife." Opal spat.  
Jade chuckled to himself for a while. Then he spoke. "What did you get put in here for? Ripping up someone's doll?"  
Opal's cheeks went red, but she didn't say anything.  
Jade chuckled again. "Too scared to say anything?"  
Opal glared at him. "No, it's because words are wasted on you, my breath is worth more than your words."  
"Drama queen."  
Opal's cheeks went red with rage. 'Filthy creature! Don't you dare call me that! I was put in here for a perfectly plausible reason, thank you very much! If you would keep your miniscule mouth closed, I would be spared from the incoherent garbage that spouts out of it! A juvenile troll's words would be of more importance to me!'  
Jade's eyebrows lifted in surprise, and he nearly fell off his chair. Then regaining his composure, he remarked, 'Talented with words, are you young one? I am a bit irked that you consider my words worth less than a troll's, though I forgive you this time.' A glint came into his eye. 'So tell me, what were you put in here for?'  
But Opal couldn't calm down that quick. After all, Jade was using her for his own entertainment. That was unacceptable! 'How dare you address me, Opal Koboi like that! I-'  
"Hey, you're the genius kid that's smarter than all the teachers, aren't you?"  
"Yes, I am! If only that imbecile of a teacher hadn't put me in here, I wouldn't have to be stuck with you!"  
Her eyes narrowed. "Why does it interest you so?"  
Jade shrugged. "Nothing."  
Opal narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything else. The rest of the detention was spent in silence.

The next day, Opal walked into detention –the teacher was only present for about two minutes before leaving-, to be confronted by Jade again.  
"What do you want?" she snarled. "You don't want to mess with me."  
Jade stared at her for a while. "Nothing," he replied, smirking, before taking his seat in the room.  
"Why do you continue to harass me? I don't think the schooling department will be much amused by your antics. I could report you to the principal for bullying."  
Opal expected Jade to be confused by her rant, but what he said next was unexpected.  
Jade raised an eyebrow. "I would presume that you are making false accusations as I have seen you harassing poor little Kayla on multiple counts, so I doubt you'd go to all that trouble to accuse me when you are guilty yourself. If you attempted you confuse me by a lengthy speech, then I'm afraid you are wrong. I do have a moderate amount of brains as well, though I may not have as many as you."  
Opal took a second to regard Jade. "You're not the average run-of-the-mill kid, are you?"  
"Perhaps not." he replied, staring intensely at her, maybe the slightest bit too intense for someone who was meant to hate her.

"Opal," Jade said, sitting down beside her. It was the third day of detention.  
Opal nodded tartly, otherwise ignoring him.  
"Opal, I have a plan."  
She turned to glare at him. "Why do you even try to speak to an individual such as myself?" she snapped. "When I am silent, it is evident that I am planning my own endeavours, so if you would refrain from interrupting?"  
Jade persisted. "No, seriously, look at this, Opal. I think you'll like it."  
Opal sighed, wondering why she was letting him, then nodded wearily. "Make it quick."  
He proceeded to spread a large piece of paper on the table. "What do you think?" asked Jade, grinning maliciously.  
Opal regarded the plan for a few minutes. Then she laughed out loud, her airy laugh echoing around the room. "This shall do perfectly. What a coincidence, Jade, I had been planning the same thing, but in my head."

They shared a look of conspiracy, and for once, Opal realised that she could become friends with this pixie. If this was successful, then various undertakings lay in the future ahead of them. After all, she could always use with a helper.

A vibration in Opal's hand snapped her out of her daydream. She shouldn't be reminiscing! She had work to do! She snuck a look at the device. A message from Jade.

**I've got the big one. – J **

Opal smiled.

**_Somewhere in the Sky, now:_**

Holly's hair streamed out in front of her. Her damaged wings had fallen away from her now, helmet, useless. She waited, falling. A few more minutes, all her pain and troubles would be gone. Her life flashed past her behind her eyes. A pity that she never got to say goodbye to Artemis and the rest of them. They were good people. She was reliving a very funny incident involving Artemis and a certain Orion when she thought she heard voices. _Am I delusional?_ She wondered. _Why under earth would there be voices here? I must be hearing things. _ She called out anyway. "Hello? Someone? Help me!"  
There was no reply. Suddenly, hands wrapped around her arms and legs, pinning them to her side. Holly struggled and screamed, to no avail. There were just too many of them, whoever or whatever they were. "Let. Me. Go!" screeched Holly. Instead, her mouth was covered with a gag. She felt herself being moved, a door appeared out of nowhere. An LEP shuttle. But it wasn't Jade's. What was happening? She was flown inside, and LEP Retrieval operatives materialised around her. Oh no. Why were they here? And why did they want _her?_ Holly was tossed to the floor, cuffs attached to her wrists, and her beloved Neutrino taken away. It just didn't make sense… Why did they need her? Sure, she had broken some rules in her time, but nothing as serious to involve this, though she was grateful for the save. If only she could have saved Butler too… Holly shook her head to herself. He was gone now. There was nothing she could do. Tears ran down her cheeks, making soft trails in the dirt covering her olive-skin. It was all hopeless. Butler gone, Minerva out for a while and Artemis strangely missing from Fowl Manor. Sobbing silently to herself, she awaited her arrival in Haven – but not as an esteemed officer, but as a prisoner.

Holly's first instinct when she woke up was to struggle and kick to free herself from her bonds. Except, this time, there were no bonds. Just soft cushioning for her foot and a familiar voice, though it was _very_ annoyed at her.  
"Seriously, Holly! I do all this for you and you kick me in the face?" Foaly cried out as Holly sat up in amazement, to realise she was on a soft, sim-leather sofa in Foaly's control room.  
"But…Julius was there," she muttered, colour rushing to her cheeks as realised how badly that statement reflected on her mental health. "I am alive, aren't I?"  
Foaly stared at her, bemused. "That's like asking: 'Swear toads exist, don't they?' Of course you are! What made you think otherwise?"  
Holly shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Oh, nothing. Maybe just the fact that last time I was awake, I was falling out of the sky, to be rescued by people of my own team, but then, instead of safely escorting me back to Haven, I get thrown into a temporary holding cell in the shuttle, tied up, gagged, pretty much the standard 'outlaw fairy treatment' that is dished out by the Retrieval. But before that…"  
"Before?" Foaly prompted, when Holly stopped speaking.  
"Butler!" Holly spluttered, her voice breaking in anguish, tears threatening to fall.  
Foaly was taken aback by this sudden mood change. Never had Holly been as emotional as this. "Holly…"  
Holly wiped away her tears angrily. "Please, find out what there is to find about one 'Jade Haneu'. This is of utmost importance!"  
"I'm not your servant, you know. You're starting to turn out like Julius-"  
"Butler's _dead_, ok?!" Holly snarled. "This is no time for witty comments!"  
Foaly fell off his chair in shock. "Butler's _what?"  
_Holly took a deep breath. "He's _dead,_ ok? I saw it with my very own eyes." She said in an undertone.  
Foaly stared at her, unable to believe his ears. "Explain, please."  
"Well, first, I would like to know why there was a whole LEP Retrieval team after me, and why I'm in here, not the deepest, darkest cell in Police Plaza, as all LEP Retrieval fairies go after being captured."  
"You're not grateful? Oh fine, I'll get them to collect you now."  
"Foaly!"  
"Fine, continue."  
"Well, I was coming back from that assignment you sent me, remember? I was heading back to Tara-"  
"Why Tara?" Foaly interrupted. "Did you perhaps, make a little detour on the way?"  
Holly glanced at Foaly, puzzled. "What are you implying here?"  
"Nothing, continue."  
Slightly suspicious, Holly continued nonetheless. "I got an urgent call from, uh, a fairy communicator. It was marked urgent. Minerva was on the line-"  
"Minerva?!" Foaly stood up. "Where did she get one of those from? Holly-"  
"Let me explain! It was Artemis's!"  
"So you are giving more fairy technology to the Mud Men, are you? You can be arrested for this, you know. The fact that Artemis managed to obtain technology the first time was bad enough, without you willingly handing it over to him!"  
"Please, Foaly!" Holly begged. "Hear me out! That was a while ago, I'll explain later. She called, because a rogue pixie by the name of Jade Haneu kidnapped Butler and I arrived just as he was leaving, so gave chase. He had pushed me out of the shuttle, and that's when the LEP found me, when I was falling to my death. That's all there is to the story!"  
"And you said Butler was dead?" Foaly asked sceptically.  
"He is! Jade blasted his brains out as he threw me out of the shuttle! He's gone, Foaly, gone. What do you have to say to that? What was the Retrieval team doing there?"  
Foaly kneaded his temples. "Well, you've kind of been blamed for a certain… incident. I had to call in all my favours and use all methods of persuasion possible to get you up here instead of down in the holding cell. Artemis has been kidnapped."  
It was now Holly's turn to fall off her sofa in shock. "He, _what? _Impossible!"  
"Perfectly possible, alright. We even have video evidence. Though I don't even think you'd do such a thing, even I can't deny the evidence of my own technology."  
Holly's mouth fell open. "Show me."  
The video was played for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, the same sequence of events. Holly's eyes focused on the figure that was seemingly her, the figure that snatched Artemis up and bounded up into the pipe, and wasn't seen again. It certainly was a female elf. With her haircut. And her height. But still.  
"But, it's nothing to base it on! It's just a video, I mean, many fairies have my height and figure. Surely they couldn't have filed an arrest warrant on that!"  
Foaly sighed. "How many female LEP fairies do you think have the new anti-grav boots? High-ranking officers only, as well. You see?"  
Holly shook her head. "It can't be. I was flying to Ireland at the time specified on the video. Certainly you have evidence of that."  
"The tracker files come up mysteriously empty for that period of time, before they show you flying from Fowl Manor again."  
"Can't be…" Holly breathed.  
"Well," said Foaly with great reluctance. "This might change your mind. I haven't even shown Trouble this. I'm tossing up on whether to or not."  
He fiddled with his old-fashioned keyboard, and the video skipped to a certain point where the figure's face was illuminated. Zooming in, you could vaguely see a red head of hair, pointed ears and… one hazel and one blue eye. Foaly ran a search for facial recognition on the LEP base. There was one result. Holly Short.  
Holly was flabbergasted. "But, it wasn't me!" Her flashing name on the screen along with the incriminating 'evidence' said otherwise. "I've been set up!"  
Foaly looked at Holly with sad eyes. "I'm sorry, Holly. You know, you flying from Fowl Manor is the first record of you on the system after the trackers recorded you at the island in the North Atlantic, before you disappeared without a trace. Either, you found some way to elude, dampen, or delete the signal temporarily, or…" Here Foaly paused. "Or, you are working with someone clever enough to hack into my files, delete your signal files, then disappear without a trace." His finger hovered over the door button. "You could've been anywhere in that time. It's perfectly plausible that everyone thinks you've kidnapped Artemis. After all, if you are working for someone higher up, who needs to know what your motive is? There are more LEP Retrival outside to take you to a holding cell, hopefully, better than the one that most prisoners get put in first. I'm sorry it had to be this way."  
"No!" Holly screamed. "It's all been set up by Jade! Jade Haneu! Jade! Search him up!"  
"I already did. Only a few petty crimes and serving community service on the edges of Haven. Nothing big that he would make the jump from stealing a loaf of bread to kidnapping Butler. What would his motives be, anyway? I've always been able to see through you, you know. There's no point in pretending. I'm sorry, Holly."  
To Foaly's amazement, she calmed down, he didn't think it would be this easy. His hand still hovered uncertainly over the door button.

"Foaly." Holly got off the sofa and walked over to Foaly. "It's just, you understand, I was framed once, and I've been framed again. You know?"  
Foaly was suspicious. "I'm still inclined to believe you kidnapped Artemis. What's to stop me pressing this button?"  
"Well, the thing is…I'm sorry," Holly said, drawing back a fist and suddenly punching him between the eyes, as fast as a snake could strike. He went down without even knowing what had happened. He hit the floor like a sack of potatoes, door button still untouched.  
"D'Arvit, if only it hadn't had to come to this…" muttered Holly, realising what she had done. She sent a message to the Retrieval team from Foaly's computer. It would be a rather sad escape to forget the Retrieval and be caught on the way out.  
"Well, that's done," she muttered to herself, examining the new prototypes that Foaly had laid out on his desk. "Holly Short: Rogue Fairy. It has a ring to it. Hopefully events will be a bit better than last time round."  
Holly wiped the recent events from the video. You couldn't be too careful. "I'm sorry, friend." Holly said, now fully equipped, to the unconscious form of Foaly. "Hopefully when we meet again, you will understand my reasons for this."

Holly slipped out of Foaly's room, shielded and ran down the hallway, glad for the anti-shimmer qualities of her suit. She got through without a hitch, as for the shuttle to the surface, she just snuck onto and hovered at the top of a passenger shuttle for the whole journey. They never noticed a thing. By the time the alarms to secure Haven were activated, she was long gone. It was time to kick some pixie butt.

**A/N: So how's that for a shock, eh? Hope you liked it! Please take some time to review. I've noticed that someone you have favourited and followed my story. You guys are OFFICIALLY awesome in my official awesome people book (not that I have a physical one, though it's all in my head :D) Thanks so much for reading my story, it means a lot to me! Also, please take time to review, it's not too much to ask, even an 'awesome!' or something tiny would be great. Please?! I BEG YOU! Also, constructive criticism is welcome. I am always looking for a way to improve my writing. So do not be afraid to critique! I critique people's work shamelessly, so if I get a slightly harsh comment, I deserved it :P My critiquing gets me into a bit of hot water sometimes :P A bit off topic...anyways. Keep being awesome guys and THANKS FOR READING :D**

**~Tiffu**

**P.S (I know, sorry, nearly done): My updates will start to be slightly less frequent after this chapter, because I'm having trouble figuring out a few things with this story, though it's not officially stuck, not yet. I'm just taking a while to write my chapters, so forgive me if I don't update much after this. Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

The roof creaked and a cold north wind blew through the gaping hole in the wall. All was quiet in what remained of Artemis's study, except for the hoarse breaths of the unconscious figure in the doorway. There was a gasp, then the figure coughed, her eyes fluttered open uncertainly. She gazed around the room, then sat up quickly, instantly regretting her action as intense pounding filled her head. Minerva let out a small groan and held her head in her hands. She could hardly think straight, which was unusual for a genius like her. Her whole body was covered in a cold layer of sweat, and her clothing was stiff and cold from it. Her head throbbed painfully in her hands, she was breathing very rapidly, taking shallow breaths, shaking from the horrors she had just awoken from. "Beau…" she muttered shakily. When the pounding subsided, she examined her surroundings, noting the time of night and how many hours she had been unconscious, if not days. The gaping hole in the wall seemed to glare at her, questioning her on her conduct, how she let Butler down, he could be dead. She braced herself against the wall and slowly, painfully raised herself into a standing position, wincing at the soreness of her body. She leant against the wall, breathing heavily, eyes closed. "Holly…" she muttered, "where are you?"  
Minerva had no idea whether Holly had actually come or not, her last memories were just images in her mind that she couldn't make sense of. The last thing she remembered was the green-haired pixie… crashing a hole through the wall…Holly's voice. Holly had darted in just before she fell, hadn't she? …_These hallucination darts are the type that feed on your worst fears. You will scream like you never have before. You will feel the worst agony possible. And don't even think of trying to pull it out. All of the drug administers in the first few milliseconds. Once I pull the trigger, you don't stand a chance…  
_"If what Jade said is true," Minerva thought to herself, "then I should still be unconscious at this moment. Which means…Holly must've come!"She picked up the discarded communicator in haste and quickly messaged Holly. All she could do now was wait, and hope that Holly's communicator still worked. Most of all, hope that Holly had Butler safe.

The wind whistled as Minerva stared into the distance, trying to figure out her next course of action. _My best course of plan would be to wait here, and wait I should, if I had any common sense tonight. But what if the others need help? Butler's gone, Artemis is missing, Holly doesn't seem to be present, even if she did come in response to my call. There isn't much that I can do…_

"Holly…please come. I need your help. Where are you?" Minerva whispered into the night sky. Her aches and pains pounded at her brain, and she was slowly losing consciousness. Her head drooped. "Where…are…you?"  
A small breeze drifted into the room, and there was a soft thump as something landed. "I'm here," said Holly. "_Heal."  
_Blue sparks flowed into Minerva, making her lift her head tiredly. "You came back…" she whispered, before closing her eyes.  
"Yes, I did… but with a great cost," Holly whispered, the recent events still fresh on her mind.

_Juliet was dying. Sweat poured off her forehead, and her breathing was ragged, her pupils dilated. She grasped Butler's hand like there was no tomorrow. And for her, there wasn't.  
"Domovoi," she rasped. "Promise me."  
Tears streamed down Butler's face, sizzling to nothing on the ground below. He had never cried this much since his first years of his life, yet they were running freely now. "Juliet, no, you can't make me do this. Juliet! Don't leave me!"  
Juliet's eyelids fluttered, her face covered in blood that ran in the creases of her face and made her look like an apparition from another planet. Her face seemed to relax for a moment and Butler thought he had lost her forever, then it contorted into an expression of rage, hatred and revenge. "Promise me," she muttered through clenched teeth. "Promise you'll get revenge. Revenge on the person who was responsible for this. This disaster. My death. Promise me, you'll get revenge, on Artemis Fowl. Promise me." Juliet's hand sprang up and clutched at Butler's arm, clinging onto it tightly, her eyes wide and demonic that seemed to look right through Butler. "Promise…" Her voice was hoarse, only a whisper now.  
Butler felt a shiver run down his spine. "I-I…promise."  
Juliet continued to stare at him intensely. Then, with an almost unnoticeable nod of her head, she fell backwards onto the floor, drawing one last breath and was still.  
Butler gently closed his sister's eyes then stood up, his dear sister dead. He took the chance and howled in the night, not unlike a lone wolf, mourning at the moon. Composing himself, he walked to a nearby bush and plucked a rose from it, resting it on Juliet's chest. "Rest in peace, dear sister," he whispered. "However long it takes, whatever I have to do, I will find that traitor for you, dear, find him, and do to him what he did to you, I swear my life on it."  
With that, he stood up again, and walked away with revenge on his mind, Sig Sauer clutched tightly in his hand. _

**_Fowl Manor, 2 years ago:_**

"This puzzles me, Butler, I must go figure it out. What do you think of all this?" Artemis questioned.  
Butler stood stoically beside Artemis while Artemis examined what seemed to be an old map of some place. "It's fairy, I know from the markings at the side, but the question is, where is this place? And why was it built? Butler glanced over Artemis's shoulder. Artemis was looking at a very strange map. It depicted a luxury dwelling of some sort, that much was certain, but there were a few strange things about it. On the floor plan, the house was strangely geometric; the house was completely round and split exactly into specified segments. You probably couldn't tell when in the house, but when looking at the floor plan, you could see it was deliberately shaped so that all the rooms formed a symbol. Artemis couldn't tell what it meant, but he could just decipher the Gnommish in the corner of the map. It read: _'Burn after reading. This is the only copy of my house, which I leave to you young Jeimur, and I hope that you will use it wisely. Be careful. My house is not what it seems. Papa._  
"What about it?" Butler asked, eventually.  
"What about it?" Artemis repeated, eyebrows raised. "If you notice," he pointed to the map, "this map was created just before one of the major elfin wars, famous to elfin history. Now why would that be?"  
Butler just stared at Artemis uncomprehendingly. Artemis continued. "The reason is that this Jeimur, whoever he was, used this house unwisely. Now, I don't know what this house does, but it was not built in this design for no reason. It goes without saying that Jeimur did in fact, _not _burn this map, probably to see the house layout again and again. Obviously, this house holds some sort of built-in power, which Jeimur used to his advantage, and possibly started this war. What I'd like to know though, is how this valuable fairy map ended up in the antique shop down the road?"  
Butler contemplated these facts. "It's unlikely that the house is still standing, given the date of this war. It depends. Why do you really need to know anyway?"  
Artemis put his head in his hands. "The thing is, Butler, I really don't know. It just stands out to me that I must find this house. Forgive me for being unrealistic, but it's as if the map…calls to me."  
Butler just raised an eyebrow.  
Artemis sighed wearily. "Yes, I know. But do you think it's worth asking Holly about?"  
Butler pondered this option. "I suppose you could, but forgive me for giving my opinion, but I don't think it's worth it. The house is probably long gone anyway. And I thought you had that business deal to work with? Maybe another time, Artemis."  
Artemis sat up straight in his seat as he listened to Butler's words, then slumped again. "Well, I suppose so, now you mention it. I am a bit busy at the moment, but…Promise me that when the time comes, we'll check this out in full detail?"  
Butler considered this for a moment before nodding. "Alright. I suppose there's no harm in this. As long as it doesn't end up as one of your run-of-the-mill adventures that you always seem to be having nowadays.  
Artemis smiled. "I'm sure it won't be like that Butler. It'll all be fine."

**_Iris Koboi's Lab, Now:_**

"So, Artemis, tell me all you know about this map." Iris intoned, mesmerlayering her voice. Artemis had woken to a high-pitched noise. At first he had thought it was the fours coming back to annoy him again, then he remembered that he was not in his imaginary 'study' as he was before. This was real.

His eyes fluttered uncertainly as he tried to fight the mesmer. A pretty hard, no, impossible feat, seeing as he was strapped down to a chair, eyelids propped open and head strapped to the headrest. Iris was taking no chances, not after what happened last time. A vein stood out in Artemis's forehead. "I…shall…not…tell…you…" he muttered.  
Iris laughed. "Oh, come on, I know you know something. Knowing you, you'd have investigated a bit about it. But the big question is, where is the map? I'll not rest until you tell me _exactly _where it is."  
Iris stared deeply into Artemis's eyes. "_Look at me,_" she commanded. Artemis, against his will, stopped looking around and focused on Iris.  
"_Where is the map?"  
_Artemis was silent for a moment, then answered in a monotone, "I don't know."  
Iris stared at him incredulously. "What do you mean you don't know?" she half-shrieked, "I know you found the map! _Where is the map?_"  
Artemis shook his head slowly, eyes now glazed. "As I said, I don't know."  
"_What happened to it after you found it?_"  
"Butler took it."  
"_Why?"_  
"He wanted to make sure I didn't go after whatever was contained inside the map, not until I finished some business of mine, so he hid it away from me. You'll never find it. I know I haven't." Even in his mesmered state, Artemis still managed his trademark vampire smile.  
Iris recoiled slightly. "_You will find it for me,_" she stated, though it wavered.  
"No," said Artemis, defiance in his eyes.  
"_You will _find _it for me," _Iris snarled. "_Find it, if it's the last thing you do. When you find it, bring it back to me. You will know where it is. You will remember nothing of this conversation."  
_Artemis nodded. "I will find the map for you," he said in a monotone. "I will remember nothing of this conversation."  
Iris nodded gleefully. "Excellent." She pressed a button, and once again, Artemis was out for the count.

**A/N: Well, I feel obliged to leave an A/N though I suppose you are all sick of me by now :P Hope you liked that! More coming soon-ish. :) School starts again tomorrow, ugh. I have no idea when the next update will come, but stay tuned! Review? Please?**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hi Everyone! Sorry I've been a bit slow in uploading. Things have been busy in school and all, also I have a lot more demands on my time these days. I've recently had to start practising piano three hours each day... Anyway, here is your 8th chapter, I had a bit of trouble editing this, but it's there now! Enjoy and please tell me what you thought, it would be much appreciated! :) **

**~Tiffu**

They flew through the air in silence, Holly shielding, with Minerva wrapped in cam foil and attached to Holly's moonbelt. Neither of them spoke and tears ran down Minerva's face.  
"I can't believe he's really dead…" muttered Minerva more to herself than Holly. "After all he survived, too. Is there a chance it was a hoax?"  
Holly heard and shook her head. "I saw it. That pixie pushed a gun to his head. A human gun too, not fairy. I heard the gunshot. He's gone."  
Minerva didn't say anything for a while. "Well, there wasn't much of a choice anyway. Either way would've resulted in harming him to some extent."  
"Yes, but if I hadn't gone in recklessly, there might've been a chance that he survived."  
A pause. "You had to, Holly. I know you could never leave Butler to a villain like Jade. Anyway, even if you had left him, he would've been taken somewhere by Jade to be tortured, most likely. Jade doesn't seem like the type to be considerate towards his captives, you saw how that hallucination dart worked on me. It's probably all a plan to…" Minerva let out a small gasp.  
"What?" asked Holly.  
"It's all a plan to get Artemis. The problem is, they already have Artemis, don't they? Though if they did, why would they still be after Butler? There's one solution. They kidnapped Butler, because they needed information to find Artemis, because they themselves don't have Artemis. Someone else does. But now Butler is dead…someone else will be taken, they need the information... unless he's not dead."  
Holly's eyes widened at the prospect of two villains that she would have to hunt down and groaned.

They flew in silence for a long while.  
"Minerva?" muttered Holly softly. Minerva hadn't heard Holly use that tone before. She was curious to hear what she had to say.  
"Yes?" she answered cautiously.  
"Would you… would you have saved him?"  
Minerva froze. "Saved who?"  
Holly turned to look Minerva briefly in the eye, before quickly looking away. "If you had been in my situation, would you have tried to save Butler, or would you have run away?"  
Minerva looked like a deer caught in the headlights, "I-I don't know." She answered eventually.  
"Though he was one of your closest friends?"  
Silence.  
Holly nodded knowingly. "Thought so."  
"Well, I'm not a police officer like you are, Holly. I'm not used to these things. Poring over an encyclopaedia is enough excitement for me!"  
"Yes, but when the time comes, would you take risks, knowing you could get hurt or worse, to do whatever is possible to save Artemis and Butler, the only friends you have?"  
Minerva wouldn't meet Holly's eyes. Once again she whispered more to herself than to Holly, "I don't know, Holly, I don't know."

Jade knew they were after him. If he knew Holly Short from what he had heard, she wasn't one to give up easily. She had placed a tracker on his ship, but he had ignored it. _Let her come. She won't be able to contend with me, after all, not with what I have in store. _Jade cackled. _This is going to be great fun. They should be here any minute, if Holly still pursues.  
_Jade took his time unpacking the ship, leaving Butler until last. He didn't want to be caught off-guard and weighed down after all. Just then, he thought he heard a twig snap. It was something that could be easily overlooked, but Jade was not someone to overlook things until he assessed the situation thoroughly. _If I am right, then that must be them. Here they come. _And Jade let a small smile of satisfaction creep onto his face.

Holly and Minerva had just touched down, some 50 metres form where Jade had parked his shuttle. It didn't seem to be close by to any shuttle ports, but, who knew, he could've been stopping to dispose of Butler's body before flying off again. They crept along through the trees, Holly hovering quietly and Minerva creeping along behind her. Holly turned to see Minerva about 5 metres behind, trying _very_ carefully to avoid making a sound, so paranoid about it that she was moving at about 1 step per 5 seconds. Holly signalled impatiently at Minerva to hurry up, who started sneaking along a bit faster. But even though she was a genius, she was not by far the best person at creeping through a forest. Before long, she made a mistake.

_Crack! _The sound of the twig breaking seemed to echo around the clearing. Holly froze, then shielded to peer at Jade, he didn't seem to have noticed. _I think we just got lucky he didn't hear us, _thought Holly to herself as she turned to glare at Minerva, who was staring horrified at Holly, mouthing numerous apologies in French.  
Annoyed, Holly put her finger to her lips and continued on. But it wasn't long until something else went wrong. Minerva was still mouthing her apologies as Holly turned away, when she heard a big crash. Holly whipped around, but Minerva was gone, instead, there was a big hole in the ground where she had been standing.

Jade turned to face the source of the loud crashing noise. _I see they fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book, _thought Jade, smirking. _All the other traps that they could've fallen for, and they fell for this. _Jade slowly picked up his Softnose – a gift from Opal, lovingly wiping the moisture off it from the grass. He smiled a mischievous smile to himself, knowing there was no escape for whoever had followed him now.

Holly struggled under the net that had fallen from a tree. She had to get them out of this mess. She and Minerva couldn't afford to be captured by Jade! Minerva was struggling in a deep hole nearby, desperately trying to climb out. There was the sound of footsteps and Holly caught sight of Jade appearing between two trees, he approached, grinning maliciously.  
"Well, look what I have here," Jade smirked. "It seems I'll have to deal with you two."

Artemis woke to find himself lying on the ground, left behind a bush on his own property. He leapt up quickly, brushing himself off while muttering about fives and the filthy ground. There was something amiss, though he couldn't really pin-point the exact cause of his discomfort. It was as if a whole part of his mind was missing. _Isn't part of my mind always missing these recent days? Then why am I surprised? It must just be Orion. Though there is still something…_  
Artemis strode up to the entrance and pressed the doorbell. Nothing happened. Impatient, Artemis pressed it again. Nothing. _Shouldn't Butler be present today? _Frustrated, Artemis stepped to the side of the entrance, moved a brick to the left, revealing a keypad, but stopped when he had to input the code. _0442. Double death. _Artemis' hand hovered over the '4' button, but he refused to type in the dreaded number. Instead, sliding the brick over the keypad again, he around the house to the back door, inputting a code (without fours in it) and getting the consequent eye, hand and body scans. Once that was done, he was finally allowed entry.

There was no one home. That was strange, Butler was always around when he wasn't. His last memory was of…Dr Argon, making him look at those horrid ink-cards, useless things. But, as far as he knew, he was still ill, why had he been released? He had no memory of being released. Once again, there was something amiss. The house was quite dark. When Artemis turned on the lights, they all blinked on suddenly, blinding him. It was as if all the electric fours were surrounding him again. He promptly turned them off, backing up against the wall and breathing heavily. His head spun and he felt quite dizzy, so he forced himself to calm down before his Complex got any worse. _I am the Artemis Fowl. How could I have come to this, this mental state? Get a hold on yourself! _Sweating all over, he finally made it to his study – to be confronted with a giant hole in the wall and objects strewn everywhere! Artemis fell backward, the first thing he thought was "The fours have attacked us!" With what remained of the rational side of his brain, he tried to work out what had happened. There was the giant hole in the wall, next to it were scorch marks all over his priceless rug. There were strange darts scattered around on the floor, one lodged into a wooden pole abandoned on the ground, that Artemis recognised as part of an old fence. The study was in disarray, but Artemis walked over to his computer, to see if he could come up with anything on the camera. He turned on the power, when something, some thought flickered in his memory, in a forgotten part of his mind.

Suddenly his eyes went glassy and his face expressionless as he heard a soothing, melodic voice in his head. _You will _find _it for me. _Artemis reeled back at the intensity of the voice in his head, then nodded slowly. "I will find it for you."  
_Where is the map? _Artemis shuddered slightly. Then he spoke aloud. "Butler has it."  
_Find it…find it…find it…find it…_

The voice faded and Artemis's head shot up, his eyes focused. He examined his surroundings, wondering why he was holding some form of dart. For the moment, Artemis forgot about fours, as his purpose was now clear. Find Butler – then to retrieve the map for _her_, in whatever ways possible.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry I haven't posted in so long! I thought I posted this chapter, seems like I haven't :P I hope you enjoy this chapter, though it's not a particularly good one... I'll try harder next few chapters, promise.**

Holly was annoyed at herself. It was one of the oldest tricks in the book, for crying out loud! After Minerva had fallen into the trap, Holly had turned around to see what happened, consequently flying into a transparent net that she hadn't noticed before. It had enclosed her instantly, sticking to her like glue, and rendering her defenceless, as it hardened and froze her in place, making her unable to reach her gun. Jade had walked over to them, slowly and leisurely, savouring the moment. When he finally reached them, he had just stood there, gloating with his Softnose strapped to his back. Then he walked over to examine Minerva, who had been caught up in a similar net at the bottom of a concealed ditch, and was currently shouting a jumble of un-intelligible, but mostly likely, extremely offensive words at Jade in French. This only served to make Jade laugh, then laugh even harder when a worm popped out of the dirt near Minerva's head, causing her to scream loudly, before going back to her verbal abuse.

"Quiet, or you'll get a hallucination dart to the face," smirked Jade, after he had had enough of Minerva's shrieking. He climbed into the shallow ditch and gave her an injection of a different liquid instead. Minerva immediately slumped a bit and her eyelids drooped, though she still murmured quietly to herself.  
"Jade, stop!" Holly cried, as Jade turned to face her. "With the authority of the LEP, I tell you to stop, or face the consequences!"  
Jade just cackled for what must've been the millionth time that day. He laughed so hard that tears started to form in his eyes. Wiping them, he said, "What are you going to do? You don't even have back-up, you're just trying the same old trick that all the pathetic excuses for police officers use these days. I haven't had this much fun in decades! I can't believe I spent all that time acting goody-two-shoes, when I could've been doing this the entire time!" He was now standing about a metre away from Holly. "Trust me, Captain Short, when I say you'd be better off to just go along with my plans, I mean it." With that, he plunged the needle into Holly's arm and grinned with glee as the drug transferred. Holly's eyes bulged with shock and a vein stood out in her neck as she tried to resist it. "D'Arvit…" she muttered, before her eyes went glassy and she went limp, her heartbeat dropping to a dangerously slow pace.

"That's right, next time just listen to Commander Jade, and maybe you won't get hurt, eh, Holly?" chuckled Jade, pinching Holly's cheek, before throwing Holly over his shoulder and making his way back to his ship.

"Foaly. We need to find her. Pronto."  
"But-"  
"No_ 'but's!_ You know as well as I do how important this is. Holly Short is a dangerous criminal. She took advantage of your past friendship to escape, taking most of your prototype equipment with her. Can you do it?"  
"Do what?"  
"Find her, of course! We're running out of time here, don't go playing dumb!"  
Foaly gritted his teeth, but said nothing.  
"Well, can you?" asked Trouble after a while. "I know you used to put trackers into your equipment, am I correct?"  
Foaly sighed. "Yes, Trouble. I'm surprised you even paid attention in any of my lectures. I _can_ tell when people are getting a bit bored, you know. My genius must be too much for them."  
"Yeah yeah, whatever you say. Find her, now. We need the co-ordinates of that traitor before she becomes too much of a handful."  
"Holly is not a traitor, do you understand?!" Foaly growled.  
"Well what exactly do you want me to do?!" Trouble yelled back. As he spoke, tears started to form in his eyes. "How do you think I feel, I've been working alongside her ever since she was admitted into the LEP as the first female officer! I was there for her when times were tough. We spent a lot of time together and she was one of my best friends. Do you think I _enjoy _condemning her like this? Do you think I _like _to see my best friends suffer? No, Foaly. I am doing this for the good of the People. No one is above the law and I can't let friendship get in the way of doing what's right. Holly's personality and sense of doing good may say that she'd never do this type of thing, but right now, all evidence points to her as the culprit. The best we can do is bring her in and question her, ask her why she did it, and if not, find out who did it instead. We can't just let this off! What would the public say? It's already all over the media, they are all lined up outside the door, waiting for new information to arrive. The Council would _sack_ me if I did nothing. Do you see now Foaly? _Do you see?_"  
Foaly was speechless. He had not been expecting such a long rant from Trouble. That was probably the longest speech he had heard from him since the last LEP meeting.

Then he stood up abruptly. "You know what? There's no point talking to you, Trouble. You just don't have any faith in your old comrade and friend to view things from her side. Holly must have very drastic reasons to do such a thing like this, you know? But obviously you just don't trust her anymore." But his voice wavered on the last word.  
"Excuse me!" Trouble spat. "Trust? _Trust! _She's just kidnapped Artemis, stolen all these LEP goods and knocked you unconscious to escape, because she has a reason? After all this, you still expect me to _trust _her. Tell me another one, Foaly. Sure, Holly has her reasons, but they sure aren't for the greater good. You better get to work tracking her _this_ instant."  
"No."  
There was a silence as Trouble and Foaly made eye-contact. "And why is that?" Trouble's tone was light, but made of pure steel, his face hardened.  
Foaly glared a while longer, before eventually lowering his gaze. "Y-you don't understand…Holly was there for me when I was in a similar situation. When everything was blamed on me? The whole of Haven wanted to kill me, but Holly didn't. She believed there was something else, some other person behind it, some other plot behind my apparent mission to destroy the LEP. You see, Holly's a true friend. She never deserts when times are tough. For a centaur like me, friends are few and far between. Trust me, Trouble!"  
"Ohhh, I'm crying, it's tragic!" Trouble responded sarcastically. "That doesn't change anything. We have proof that this was Holly. Now quit blabbering and run the program or whatever you use. D'Arvit…you'd think I'd have more command over my inferiors as commander, but nooo. Pony boy always has to have the last word, doesn't he?"  
"I will prove you wrong!" yelled Foaly, not able to stand it anymore. "I believe in Holly, she's never proven unloyal!"  
Trouble smiled slightly. "Find her and we shall see."  
Foaly opened his program. "I will, I'll prove you wrong yet," he muttered under his breath.


End file.
